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You're Welcome

It's strange what cocktails of things prompt the things that I write. They are frequently just word doodles. Yesterday's poem was, as I said, prompted by the death of a friend and colleague, but what I didn't say was that Christy Moore's "Ride on" and the hymn "For all the saints" were also a bizarre musical mash-up in my head as I wrote. 
In this case the following short reflections were stirred up not only by Jesus' dealing with Simon Peter in John 20 from last week's lectionary,  but also reading stories of politicians that I would bitterly disagree with, a response by a colleague to a comment I had made about a political commentator that I dislike, seeing a church notice board (not this one) on my way into work that says "All Welcome" when I don't actually think that all would be welcome in that particular church, except on their terms, and listening to the gospel song "People Get Ready" on my car playlist on the same journey, and specifically the verse that says 
"There ain't no room
For the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind
Just to save his own."  
And from that stew came this... You're welcome...

Simon Peter
There’s no denying it
I love you
Do you love me?
Come on
Follow me, and love others
As I have loved you.

Judas
Purse-bearer, guilt-bearer
You did what you thought needed done
For whatever reason
But I love you
So come on
Give me a kiss.

Pilate
The truth is
I love you too
And all those in positions of power
Fearful of those above and below
So let me wash not just your hands
But your heart

Caiaphas
It is better that one man die
For the sake of the people
Is it?
I love you too
Though the word seems absent
From the lexicon of your religion

Mary,
The first to see me but not the last
And sadly not the first nor the last woman
to have been maligned by men of faith
Oh how I love you
Let me dry your tears
Now we can embrace
Selah
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